If you ask me, I felt the otherworld in general was vague. The levels like Hell's Descent and the Shepards' home were the peaks of my interest, still I felt as though I've been there and done that (perhaps as seen in the movie?) And I wouldn't have minded blood and rust again had they pulled it off in a unique and genuine way. As for the "recycled body"...unacceptable.

The general blood and rust palette seems like Alessa's Otherworld on steroids. I tried, but could not find many sources of where this Otherworld theme in Homecoming was...coming from. Besides the movie. Homecoming definitely had a lot of the same feel the movie did in many areas, like the way the "normal" world changed to the Otherworld, and so forth. At times I felt like I was playing something that had so much potential, but ended up being the work of lazy developers that couldn't design a new, unique Otherworld for the characters and story of Homecoming.

There's so much that could have been taken advantage of, like the whole war theme that comes from Alex coming home from war. The contrast of what it must have looked like before and what it looked like when he came back felt non-existent... The use of metaphors to illustrate Alex's personal demons fell extremely short. The rust and metal grating and sheets felt generic for some reason, maybe because I've seen it already several times, and know that Silent Hill's Otherworlds can amount to things more unique than what I paid for.

I mean, rust and metal may be used, of course, but use it in a way that the story calls for. I didn't find that Homecoming's story reflected the Otherworld all that well. It felt like it copied more than it enhanced. Even the enemies seemed ripped off from past games and the movie. Smog? That straight-jacket thing from SH2. Nurses? Movie. Boogeyman? SH2 AND the Movie.

There are a lot of probs I had with Homecoming, and the environment is the least of them. Which isn't a good thing...considering I wasn't too fond of it.

Well, Aura, I've always found you to be uber cool so I'm going to assume that your harsh wording came from a late night or a bad mood or something, but I don't entirely disagree with you. I'm sort of saying that it was nice to see a Homecoming, a sort of fanservice (I find 'fanservice' to be quite an ironic word these days, since in most franchises the kind of thing it refers to tend to be the things today's hardcore internet-based fans want the very least) best of package, but I definitely wouldn't want any more of it. For me it was great to see that same world and it's parts in high definition, with freelook camera etc.

But also doesn't it vary from person to person what makes Silent Hill special? For me in a series like this I like it to be as if every new game could be a person's first, and some of the great atmosphere achieved in there would go to waste with the way games quickly vanish into obscurity as 'generations' move on (or at least they did, this generation is set to last quite some time I reckon, things are changing)... At the same time though, yeah, more originality will be nice.

But I like the rust, and while I loved Shattered Memories, the difference is night and day and I think it's been established that Silent Hill's rusty worlds continue to be scary when done right whilst Shattered Memories has a completely different feel. Personally I'd prefer some of the rusty theme to stay but to be messed with - think of Silent Hill 3, the way some otherworld sections were so different and unique even with the rust theme... Maybe go even weirder than that... Cause to me Silent Hill is rusty.

_________________Where we're from, the birds sing a pretty song, and there's always music in the air.

Well, rust has sort of become the stereotype of Silent Hill, even if it's not always an accurate one. It's probably because the SH1 otherworld used grated floors with nothing but blackness underneath a lot. But there was more going on than just that, the theme of the school was torture dungeon, the hospital was decay. I don't remember there being a ton of rust in SH2, the hospital was delapidated and hotel was flooded. Then SH3 had those pulsating fleshy walls.

I think that SH doesn't necessarily need rust, it just needs disturbing environments, and there's a thousand ways to do that. I think going back to the rust is not a bad idea at all, just as long as you bring something new to the table. But SHH didn't really do that, it just felt like it was being lazy.

Yeah Silent Hill 2's otherworlds were more like just a much further whethered/eroded/water damaged version of the same place, but some areas, particularly in the historical society/prison, were unusually industrial.

_________________Where we're from, the birds sing a pretty song, and there's always music in the air.

Lots of Otherworlds through the series are similiar. SH1 had the general rusty ambient.. which is approvable- it was the original SH. SH2 had the washy, flooded, decayed ambience- connected to the interior James that didn't have such dreams full of anger and hatred (that's why the rust wasn't really needed), it was also connected with the executioners washing their tools with water after finishing with their job. SH3 had totally bloody fleshy halls and rooms, like a much more gore version of the SH1 Otherworld (7 yrs Alessa's nurturing + 17 yrs of being an reincarnation of Heather); SH4 did not have any rusty or mouldy ambients.. just bizarre, abstract, places (describing W.Sullivan- the stereotype of a tipical serial killer).. SHO had the introduction of the rust (the beginning of Alessa's manifestation of hatred). So, what I'm saying is: all the Alessa-related games contained rust- which isapprovable, 'cause we're talking basically about the psyche of the same person.. while SH2 and SH4 had their own original artwork. SHH stole the Otherworld from SH1,3 and SHO- just because it's the most loved by fans. Maybe it could have worked ('cause of the whole theme of splitting from the original SH cult.. etc..), but there definetly should have beem some innovations- and the machinery wasn't enough.

The general blood and rust palette seems like Alessa's Otherworld on steroids. I tried, but could not find many sources of where this Otherworld theme in Homecoming was...coming from. Besides the movie. Homecoming definitely had a lot of the same feel the movie did in many areas, like the way the "normal" world changed to the Otherworld, and so forth. At times I felt like I was playing something that had so much potential, but ended up being the work of lazy developers that couldn't design a new, unique Otherworld for the characters and story of Homecoming.

There's so much that could have been taken advantage of, like the whole war theme that comes from Alex coming home from war. The contrast of what it must have looked like before and what it looked like when he came back felt non-existent... The use of metaphors to illustrate Alex's personal demons fell extremely short. The rust and metal grating and sheets felt generic for some reason, maybe because I've seen it already several times, and know that Silent Hill's Otherworlds can amount to things more unique than what I paid for.

I really agree with you.. It didn't feel much like the Otherworld or the monsters reflected Alex character very much at all.. And I do think that he had the potential to be a really good character, but he fell really short. And I think the monster's designs were quite well done, but they didn't reflect Alex and his darkness, it just stoppad making that much sense and felt like a waste of a character that could have been really interesting. although i do also think that Homecoming wasn't that much about Alex, as it was about his surroundings, and the monsters purpose may not have been about reflecting Alex. i just wish they would've gone deeper with him, because i do think Homecoming is a great story.

I just always felt that it was stupid that they took so much from the movie, since that world is Alessas, and this game doesn't have that much to do with Alessa.

Homecoming's otherworld may share some similarities with past games (which isn't unreasonable). But it's more unique than most of you guys are giving it credit for. The heavy focus on machinery and fire is something different.

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In regards to the environments, I feel it has to do with the theme of traditions and how they affect those under them. With all the machinery in this otherworld, I suspect it is hinting toward the rigidity and constricting nature of the traditions Sheperd's Glen follows from the days of when they broke away from the "cult." A machine is oppressive, very non-human, and performs an operation without question (duh). The town people have been following this way of life for 200 years now, but they never stop to find a way out. They just did as they were told.

Wish I would've seen this post sooner, I was pointing this out over on another forum. Glad I'm not the only person who thought about it like this.

as the weird fleshy walls and such in 3 kinda represent womb/vagina. You know, God fetus in Heather and all.

That's my point. What does God fetus have to do in SHH? And I underline the world God fetus ,so don't go blasting out on me- I'm conscious of the rebirth theme in SHH, it's just that the actual birth of God is not so much involved in the game. The curses and sacrifices are the ones that take part mostly.

^ I wasn't trying to 'blast' you or anything. I was trying to say that SH 3 has fleshy, bloody walls, and for a good reason. Homecoming does not have such features in the otherworld. I was trying to point out the differences and thus counter the argument that Homecoming 'ripped-off' 1 or 3's otherworld.

There are bound to be similaritys between the games, but I feel that Homecoming conveys it's own theme in the otherworld designs. Sure, there are common themes, but SHH does play up the Hell/Damnation theme more than past titles. And it fits what's happening in Shepards Glen.

Those fleshy pathways are such a small part of Homecoming's otherworld which otherwise focuses on mechanical and fiery imagery. Also they're not even that similar to Silent Hill 3's bleeding... pulsating walls.

Those pathways along with all of the other vagina dentata imagery fit perfectly within Homecoming. The story is about ritualistic filicide.

Homecoming's otherworld may share some similarities with past games (which isn't unreasonable). But it's more unique than most of you guys are giving it credit for. The heavy focus on machinery and fire is something different.

Yeah...this is where i'am as far as Homecoming's otherworld segments go....i only liked the helldescent and the otherworld house level the best, but i do feel they kinda tried to replace the blood and rust with the orangey firey atmosphere. It worked for the game tho....as i felt the fire and machinery actually reflected Alex's memory of being a soldier and remembering the visions of war when he was overseas.

The machinery reflecting the various military vehicles and or equipment and the firey orange backdrop representing the explosions of the war and gunfire (the smog creature even spits streams of smoke at you)...it made sense for Alex's otherworld properties to reflect that.

^Yes, I also only liked the Helldescent and Hellhouse otherworld. A different atmosphere was present and there were lots of machineries ( a new & innovative feature, not forced so much as the rust.. ) , although...

clips wrote:

....as i felt the fire and machinery actually reflected Alex's memory of being a soldier and remembering the visions of war when he was overseas.

..I don't understand why to use the theme of war so much. It never happened and Alex was never in a battle field, at least not in a physical one ( so it's not a memory)... unless, they wanted to depict his inner side by using the war theme as an allegory to how he really felt in that hospital after the crude events that happened.. wounded (mentally) after a war (metaphorical one). But still.. it doesn't look or sound right to me. Maybe I'm just not getting the bigger picture here.

Missing since: 30 Mar 2009Notes left: 1081Last seen at: North of The Wall

The whole war thing, for me at least, encompasses most of the themes within Homecoming. The thematics of war, things like duty, brotherhood, sacrifice etc. are all strong elements of Homecoming's story.

The reason then for Alex's war delusions is that he has failed in his duty to protect his brother, and his mind cannot cope with this. It's because of this (and the stern upbringing he had at the hands of his military father) that he created a new reality, one in which he can perform his duty successfully, protecting his brothers in arms where he failed to protect his real brother. This also allows him to live in a reality where he can finally make his father proud of him.

The war imagery is very, very important to the story of homecoming and to understanding Alex as a character.

_________________Too cold to start a fireI'm burning diesel, burning dinosaur bonesI'll take the river down to still waterAnd ride a pack of dogs

^ i think that is excellent analysis. really, really good. i thought the Otherworld's war-theme made sense so i was questioning the reasoning behind it since it seems that Alex never went to war. but i really like to think of it like this, and it does makes a lot of sense.